Lone Survivor

Based on the true story of Operation Red Wings, 'Lone Survivor' is a brutal war movie from Peter Berg, which is the good news as he makes sure that the action doesn't overshine the characters (until the end, but that's true of any action movie's finale). It almost compares to '12 Years a Slave' in terms of the sheer violence the audience is put through, though the cruelty of the former is far worse, and the credits honouring the fallen at the end are one of the most emotional I've sat through in a while.